Round-up Tracks: Wolf Alice, Chvrches, & More

Some bands do b-sides the old fashioned way - churning out whatever’s been left in the bin, for the sake of it. Wolf Alice, however, don’t do things by halves. Additional tracks on EPs have only grown with the band’s stature, and one-off ‘Baby Ain’t Made of China’ is equally capable of being a fan favourite for years.

A strung out road tripper recorded in the midst of a North American tour, it was put together in the Bat Robot studios of J.J. Abrams, no less. More positive than anything on the dark-slanting debut ‘My Love is Cool’, it’s anything but an afterthought. Joel Amey once told DIY he pens one song a day - add Ellie Rowsell’s output into the mix and Wolf Alice probably have hundreds of these songs in their locker. Just imagine what’s next. (Jamie Milton)

If Chvrches are proving anything in the run up to ‘Every Open Eye,’ it’s that they don’t faff about. Though they’ve got that same magical essence the second time around, there’s a new diamond-dusted edge to the Scottish trio, too, and with ‘Clearest Blue’ particularly, they pursue something muscular and unstoppable. “Just another time I’m caught inside every open eye, holding on tightly to the sides, never quite learning why,” chants Lauren Mayberry, slyly referencing the new album title with growing determination. Without warning, a hair-thin string catches, and all of a sudden, it’s crept up into this towering monster. Stealthily creeping up, and eventually submerging every last nanometer of internal space, ‘Clearest Blue’ is a Pacific Ocean sized pop song. (El Hunt)

Demob Happy have compared their debut album ‘Dream Soda’ to a fight against the demons in your head. A psychotic trip, it’s a blue pill v. red pill adventure with deadly endings. ‘Junk DNA’ is the surest sign yet that this Brighton group got lured into the dark side.

The song kicks off with a thunderous guitar line by way of Arctic Monkeys’ ‘AM’ and Joshua Homme’s acid trips in the desert. What follows is more complex. Matthew Marcantonio spits with the venom of a confused sinner, leading the band through shameless riffs and tightly-wound mid-sections. Whether darkness is genuinely in their veins, Demob know how to deliver everything with a cutting edge. (Jamie Milton)

Aside from the sweat-drenched excitement of their live performances, and their bloody fantastic pop tunes one of the most charming things about Hinds is the little written introductions to songs they pen for Soundcloud. Last month’s heroic ‘Chilli Town’, for example, was rather brilliantly described as a “winner’s song”. Now – along with the album announcement that we’ve all tortuously been waiting for – the Madrid garage-rockers have just released ‘Garden’, along with the epigraph: “please don’t say it was a shitty decision” to open the LP with it.

The good news is it was an absolutely cracking decision; with Strokes-y vocals and stomping drums. it leads you down the garden path of miniature bridges and verses before punching you with a chorus more chaotic than La Tomatina. The mini description also sees a forewarning that the record contains sadder vibes than they first expected – that’s certainly not a bad thing – but it doesn’t seem particularly relevant for ‘Garden’ which is still more fun than you can shake a metaphorical stick at, and sows the seeds for a blooming brilliant album to grow out of. (Kyle MacNeill)

Since her debut track ‘Still,’ things have fallen into place for The Japanese House like neat fuss-prompting tetris. The last ever Radio 1 Hottest Record from Zane Lowe, Amber Bain’s absorbed a little bit of Lowe’s otherworldly reputation. Ever since, she’s been dubbed a mysterious, shady, unknown producer; despite having her full name and face-bearing press shots well out in the open.

When it comes to ‘Clean’ - the title-track from Bain’s second EP - there’s no mystery or doubt about it anymore. The Japanese House goes far beyond mere flurry and hype. “I knew it wouldn’t last, but in the clean light you cast, I was good,” Bain sings through shards of vocoder, faint tinges of unfiltered voice occasionally punching through like she’s sloshing though a shimmery, silver-flicked aquarium. Despite being a song about things ending, breaking up, and dissolving, ‘Clean’ focuses in on the tranquil moments of calm before the storm. There are subtle precision moments of impact, too. A klaxon getting submerged by the blue wash here, a bubbling chime whizzing past there. ‘Clean’ might not heave with bravado or glitz, mystery or murk, but rest assured, The Japanese House knows exactly what she’s doing. (El Hunt)

Escapism runs through the veins of anyone picking up a guitar and stamping their foot down on as many pedals as they can find. It’s a default mode for jumped up kids wanting to get out of the tired and frustrated everyday. INHEAVEN, however, don’t just dream big. They act like there’s one train left out of town and they’ve four precious minutes to catch it.

With ‘Bitter Town’, the South London group sing about how everything around them is “made out of plastic”, how love is the only key to happiness that they can find. Everything’s delivered with bombast, spiralling guitars nestling up next to the clouds. With Jesus and the Mary Chain-style broad strokes, they’ve flown out of dull old suburbia in the blink of an eye. “All I know is I’ve got you,” they bark. This is a closing film sequence, a road trip soundtrack and a gigantic mission statement rolled up into one bolshy introduction. (Jamie Milton)

Tags: Features, CHVRCHES, Listen, Wolf Alice